Written Answers Wednesday 27 September 2006

Scottish Executive

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would require the withdrawal of any produce on sale in Scotland found to contain unauthorised genetically modified rice.

Lewis Macdonald: The Food Standards Agency informs me that any produce on sale in Scotland that has been found to contain unauthorised genetically modified rice should be withdrawn from sale.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what testing is taking place of produce on sale in Scotland for unauthorised genetically modified rice.

Lewis Macdonald: The Food Standards Agency informs me that any long grain rice being imported to the UK from the US must either be certified as free of LLRICE601, or if not so certified, must be detained until testing is carried out to demonstrate that it is free of this material.

  Additionally, the Food Standards Agency is commissioning a survey at UK rice mills to investigate the extent of any contamination of long grain rice with this GM variety.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what laboratories in (a) Scotland, (b) the rest of the United Kingdom and (c) the European Union have the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing equipment necessary for a specific test for LL601 rice.

Lewis Macdonald: A number of laboratories have the type of equipment necessary to carry out real-time PCR including the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency, which is part of the European Network of GMO Laboratories. The European Commission has circulated a list of private laboratories that the industry has indicated are able to carry out tests for LLRICE601 in the European Union. Three of these are in the UK, although none is in Scotland. Other laboratories may also be in a position to carry out testing. In addition, enforcement authorities across the UK have access to the tests via the public analyst network.

Health

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the age-specific fertility rates were in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in (i) 2005, (ii) 1985 and (iii) 1965, broken down into mothers aged (1) 20 to 24, (2) 25 to 29, (3) 30 to 34, (4) 35 to 39 and (5) 40 to 44.

George Lyon: The information requested is not available for 1965. The available information is given in the following table.

  Age-Specific Fertility Rates Per 1,000 Female Population

  

Council Area 
 Age of Mother


 20-24
 25-29
 30-34
 35-39
 40-44


 Dundee City
 
 
 
 
 


 2005
 59
 89
 76
 38
 6


 1985
 101
 118
 55
 14
 2


 Angus
 
 
 
 
 


 2005
 98
 110
 91
 40
 7


 1985
 126
 134
 61
 20
 2

Health

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many births were registered solely in the mother’s name in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in (i) 2005, (ii) 2000, (iii) 1995 and (iv) 1985, also expressed as a percentage of all births registered in each area over the same timescale.

George Lyon: The information requested is given in the following table.

  Births Registered Solely in Mother’s Name

  

 Council area
 
 1985
 1995
 2000
 2005


 Dundee City
 Number
 201
 190
 151
 122


 % of all births
 9.3
 10.9
 10.3
 7.9


Angus 
 Number
 65
 67
 53
 55


 % of all births
 5.0
 5.3
 5.1
 5.0

Health

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average age of mothers was for all births in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in (i) 2005, (ii) 1985 and (iii) 1965.

George Lyon: The information requested is not available for 1965. The available information is given in the following table.

  Average Age of Mother at Birth

  

 Council Area
 1985
 2005


 Dundee City
 25.3
 27.7


 Angus
 26.6
 29.0

Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the provision of intensive therapy unit (ITU) services to be a matter for individual NHS boards or for the health service at national level.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the current provision of intensive therapy unit (ITU) beds across Scotland to be adequate.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it offers about average occupancy rates of intensive therapy unity (ITU) beds and whether it will consider reviewing this matter.

Mr Andy Kerr: The provision of adult intensive therapy unit services is a matter for individual health boards. Each board must ensure that an appropriate number of ITU beds is available; however, if all the ITU beds become full, there are arrangements in place for neighbouring boards to offer ITU care. Boards also have contingency plans for the event of large scale emergencies. We expect that good governance and risk management planning should ensure that these services and plans are in place. We consider the current provision to be adequate, and we have no plans to issue guidance on average occupancy rates.

Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the current provision of intensive therapy unit (ITU) beds at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary to be adequate.

Mr Andy Kerr: This is a matter for NHS Grampian.

Mental Health

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to fund mental health charities to enable them to create new services to replace services currently reliant on European Social Fund payments.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive has no specific plans to fund mental health charities in order to replace any shortfall in services that will occur as a result of the conclusion of the current European Social Fund programme at the end of 2006.

Ministerial Correspondence

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister intends to reply to my letter of 10 August 2006 regarding the subject "The Public Interest".

Margaret Curran: I replied on the First Minister’s behalf on Monday 25 September.

NHS Hospitals

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has examined the case for legislating to make it possible for NHS boards to regulate parking in hospitals and other parking areas under their control more effectively.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has not examined the case for legislating to make it possible for NHS boards to regulate parking in hospitals and other parking areas under their control as car park charging on hospital sites is a matter for local NHS boards to determine in light of local circumstances.

Procurement

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what IT procurement systems are used by local authorities; when each system was introduced; how long any contracts for these systems will last, and what the overall costs are of each such contract.

George Lyon: This information is not held centrally.

Sexual Health

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26509 by Mr Andy Kerr on 12 June 2006, whether there has been any progress in completing an estimate of the potential demand from NHS boards for postal testing kits for chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections.

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S2W-25667 by Mr Andy Kerr on 10 May 2006, whether a national contract will be established to allow NHS boards to provide postal testing kits for chlamydia through bulk and shared purchasing arranged by the Executive.

Mr Andy Kerr: An estimate of the potential demand from NHS boards for postal testing kits has now been completed and we are considering whether a national procurement contract would be appropriate.

  Separately we have commissioned Healthy Respect to investigate potential for expanding the postal testing kit for chlamydia to cover other sexually transmitted infections.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bankruptcies there have been in each of the last five years and, of these, how many were student borrowers.

Hugh Henry: The Accountant in Bankruptcy maintains the Register of Insolvencies in Scotland. Details of bankruptcies are compiled by financial year. The following table gives the number of bankruptcies for the financial years 2001-02 to 2005-06. Statistics on how many debtors were student borrowers is not held on the register.

  

 Financial Year
 Number of Sequestrations in Scotland


 2001-02
 3,193


 2002-03
 3,228


 2003-04
 3,309


 2004-05
 3,521


 2005-06
 5,423



  Source: Accountant in Bankruptcy.

Whisky

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is considering to protect against counterfeiting of Scotch whisky at home and abroad.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive is committed to supporting the Scotch whisky industry’s work to protect its reputation and integrity around the world, and will assist where possible in protecting Scotch whisky against all forms of unfair competition. The Scottish Executive and Scotch whisky industry are currently working together on proposals to enhance the protection of Scotch whisky and consumers. The new EU Spirit Drinks Regulation will also improve the protection of Scotch whisky.

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the compulsory registration and ringing of those species of birds listed in Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the use of this mechanism to confirm that individual birds in captivity have been captive-bred, to be useful means to protect Scotland’s wild bird populations from illegal capture and collection.

Rhona Brankin: The bird registration scheme has generally been regarded as a means of contributing to conservation objectives and has operated on this basis for the past 25 years.

  We propose to issue a consultation paper on the scheme in the near future which will enable respondents to express their views on this and other issues related to the scheme.

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government in relation to the review of Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 relating to the species of birds which must be registered and ringed if kept in captivity.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has been involved in discussions with the other UK Administrations following publication of a report from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee with their recommendations for amendments to the list of species included in Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects there to be an announcement by the UK Government on the conclusions of the review of Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 relating to the species of birds which must be registered and ringed if kept in captivity in England and Wales and what plans it has for a similar announcement in Scotland.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive does not expect an announcement by the UK Government on the conclusions of the review of Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 until there has been an opportunity for public consultation on the recommendations contained in the report from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. I expect that a public consultation will be published shortly.

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to alter the species listed in, and operation of, Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 relating to the species of birds which must be registered and ringed if kept in captivity in Scotland and whether any such proposals will be subject to consultation with the public or Parliament.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive, together with the other UK administrations, has received recommendations from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee regarding possible amendments to Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. These proposals will be subject to public consultation. The Executive will decide in the light of the responses to that consultation whether to bring forward any amendments to Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.